A Garden that Deer Won't Eat

Horticulturist Erica Glasener explains how to design a garden that won't get eaten by deer.

With the explosion of the deer population across the US, gardeners are often forced to find ways to deal with these pests. There are a variety of ways to keep deer from treating your garden like a gourmet salad bar. The best approach combines prevention and damage control, including physical barriers (fences are very effective), chemical repellants and behavioral deterrents (like automatic water systems and noises).

Beyond control measures, the design of your garden and the plants you choose, including annuals, perennials, bulbs, shrubs and trees, can also go a long way towards creating a lush, beautiful deer-resistant landscape. A mixed border is probably your best bet. To keep your garden visually appealing, plant a variety of different types of flowers and foliage.

In her new book 50 Beautiful Deer-Resistant Plants (published by Timber Press in 2011), Ruth Rogers Clausen talks about “deer candy” plants that are known to attract deer. She recommends that you avoid plants like tulips, daylilies, hydrangeas and hostas and find alternatives such as hellebores, daffodils and yarrow. What follows are some tips for designing and planting a deer resistant landscape.

Plant barriers of shrubs and trees at the edges of your property that are known to be unpalatable, including both evergreen and deciduous types, such as Lynwood forsythia (Forsythia x intermedia ‘Lynwood’), fragrant sumac (Rhus racemosa), dwarf Alberta spruce (Picea glauca ‘Conica’) and evergreen hollies (Ilex species and cultivars).

Create berms and different levels — deer don’t like to navigate different levels.